The Effect of Using Educational Games as a Tool in Teaching English Vocabulary to Arab Young Children: A Quasi-Experimental Study in a Kindergarten School in Saudi Arabia

Vocabulary is an essential element of English language learning. There are many strategies, which teachers can use in teaching vocabulary, especially to young learners. One of these strategies is using educational games to teach vocabulary more effectively. The aim of this quasi-experimental study is to investigate the effect of using educational games on the vocabulary learning of young children. The research was conducted at a kindergarten in Saudi Arabia, in which the participants were 40 Arab young learners. They were between 5 and 6 years old, and all of them were nonnative speakers. Participants were divided into two groups, control, and experimental group. The experimental and control group comprised of twenty students each. The experimental group was taught using games in which the children were involved. On the other hand, the control group was taught using a more “traditional†method by repetition. A vocabulary-based test, presenting as a pre-test, post-test, and delayed post-test, was assigned to both groups. The study revealed that applying educational games as a learning technique with young learners, increased learner engagement, improved knowledge absorption and retention, and gave learners the opportunity to see real word application. Accordingly, this study recommends using educational games in teaching vocabulary more creatively with young learners.